School system advertises for students, bus drivers

Sep. 10—With declining student enrollment and a desperate need for bus drivers, Haywood County Schools is doing something it hasn't tried before — advertising.

The Haywood County Schools Foundation paid $4,000 for an advertising campaign that aired on WLOS between Sept. 5 and 10 to recruit bus drivers. The foundation has also independently produced videos promoting enrollment at both the elementary and high schools in Haywood.

Foundation director Jenny Wood said the commercial tied the need for bus drivers in with school safety and encouraging students to return to Haywood Schools.

"We outperform every school in the region," Wood said of the school system's latest academic ranking.

Videos produced by the foundation showcase not only the academic excellence, but the wide variety of activities in the school system where students can get involved.

Haywood County Schools Superintendent Bill Nolte said a reduced enrollment and employee shortages are issues plaguing public school systems across the nation.

"We developed the ads with financial support from the foundation just to remind people we're still here, and we did not stop during COVID," Nolte said. "If they are interested in coming to a very high-performing school system or working in a very-high performing school system, we would be a very good place for them."

When the latest school performance scores were released on Aug. 31, by the N.C. Superintendent of Public Instruction's office, Haywood County Schools ranked seventh in the state out of a total of 115 school districts.

Nolte estimates enrollment will be down about 500 students since the beginning of COVID — numbers that won't be firmed up until the 40th day of classes.

The school system is looking to hire about 10 more bus drivers, but is in fairly good shape when it comes to other positions systemwide, Nolte said.

"We're not very different than other school systems — larger ones lost more students, smaller systems lost fewer, " he said. "When you translate that into funding per student, it adds up in a hurry."

Fewer students in the school system meant positions had to be cut, but luckily, the school system hasn't had to resort to layoffs. The lower work force numbers have been reached through employee retirements, Nolte said.

"The good news is lot of our people have stayed with us and we haven't lost as many as other school systems," he said. "The bad news is we're just not immune to what COIVD has done to employment across the board. Banks, restaurants and many other businesses are scrambling for employees. A lot of people disappeared from employment and apparently have taken their children with them."

Bus drivers needed

While all but a couple teaching positions filled, that's not the case with bus drivers.

Transportation Director Stephen Sharpe said most of the 10 or so open positions with the system are at Waynesville Middle or Tuscola High School. Until drivers are hired, the school system is making do.

"Right now, we have a whole lot of principals driving and a whole lot of people filling in," Sharpe said.

Employees who only drive a bus generally work three hours a day, with the time split between the morning and the evening route. At $15 an hour, that generally nets them $960 a month, pre-tax, Sharpe said.

Generally, the school system strives to combine the bus driving position with that of other work — teaching assistants, cafeteria workers or perhaps custodians.

"If they are full time, they tend to do better because they have all their benefits," Nolte said, adding that. Most of the bus drivers do work for the school system full time.

The policy was changed so bus drivers who work 20 hours a week can get health insurance, and the school system will pay the fees for the required training.

Sharpe said there's another reward for driving a school bus that can't be measured in dollars and cents.

"My parents both drove buses and my mom still does," said the former teacher. "You don't realize the impact you can have on a student by simply being there daily to greet them with a smile and hello. To this day, I still have people come up to me and remember me as their bus driver."

The job of a school bus driver is both underpaid and under appreciated, Sharpe admitted, but its importance shouldn't be underestimated.

"Without those bus drivers some kids wouldn't even be able to get to school," he said.